ITHACA, NY – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team wrapped up play at the Bomber Invitational on Saturday, dropping a pair of 3-0 decisions to Ithaca (25-22, 26-24, 25-15) and Carnegie Mellon (25-19, 25-19, 25-21) inside Ben Light Gymnasium. The Blue Jays move to 3-3 on the season.
Hopkins showed stretches of strong play throughout the day, including a pair of tightly contested opening sets against Ithaca and a competitive third set against Carnegie Mellon. The Blue Jays also received standout individual performances from
Josephine Kinlan and
Ivy Swafford.
Game 1: Johns Hopkins 0, Ithaca 3
Hopkins established an early presence against the host Bombers (4-2), jumping out to a 5-0 advantage in the opening set. The Blue Jays maintained the pressure throughout the frame, holding a 15-15 tie before Ithaca created separation late and claimed the opener, 25-22.
The Blue Jays again controlled the early stages of the second set, building a 15-10 advantage before eventually taking their largest lead of the match at 23-14. Ithaca rallied with eight straight points to erase the deficit, but Hopkins answered with a Kinlan kill to reach set point at 24-22. The Bombers ultimately closed out the set, 26-24, to take a 2-0 lead.
Ithaca carried the momentum into the third set and pulled away midway through the frame to complete the sweep.
Kinlan led all Hopkins hitters with 13 kills while hitting .300, while Swafford added seven kills and 13 digs.
Nicole Tuszynski paced the defensive effort with 14 digs, while
Annika Anderson contributed 15 assists and three service aces. Hopkins matched Ithaca with 33 kills and held a 48-43 advantage in digs.
Game 2: Johns Hopkins 0, Carnegie Mellon 3
The Blue Jays once again came out quickly in the afternoon, taking an 8-3 lead against Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans (6-1) responded with an extended run to take the lead, but Hopkins battled back to even the opening set at 19-19 on another Kinlan kill. Carnegie Mellon closed the frame with a late run to take a 25-19 decision.
The second set remained tight through the early stages, with Hopkins answering several Carnegie Mellon runs. A block from
Jordan Price and
Sami Hockers helped the Blue Jays pull even at 10-10, while a three-point Hopkins run later cut a five-point deficit to 20-18. The Tartans, however, again found separation late to take the set 25-19.
Hopkins continued to battle in the third set and mounted its strongest push of the match late. After falling behind 20-10, the Blue Jays put together an 8-1 run to pull within three at 21-18. Carnegie Mellon responded with the final four points to close out the set, 25-21, and complete the sweep.
Swafford turned in one of the day's strongest individual performances, recording 15 kills while hitting .438. Price and Hockers each contributed three block assists as Hopkins finished with four total blocks.
The Blue Jays return to action next weekend at the Trinity (TX) Fall Classic in San Antonio, Texas. Hopkins opens tournament play on September 18 against No. 16 Washington University at 11 a.m. CT before facing second-ranked Trinity (TX) at 5:30 p.m. CT. The Blue Jays will conclude the tournament on September 19 against St. Thomas (TX) at 1:15 p.m. CT.
